Approximately half an hour later, Meng Yiran successfully completed the absorption of her second soul ring.
Sensing the enhancement in her own strength, Meng Yiran's face lit up with joy.
"Rank-twenty great soul master—I have succeeded!"
Of course, Meng Yiran did not forget to express her gratitude to Tang Yi: "Thank you so very much! If you had not intervened to save me, I would certainly have died! There would have been no possibility of absorbing the soul ring!"
Approaching the Mottled Viper soul beast, Meng Yiran finally noticed the bullet wound that had pierced through its body.
Inwardly, she felt deep admiration: "This person appears to be even younger than I am. How can his strength be so terrifying? Even with my first soul skill and my full soul power, I was unable to inflict fatal damage on this eight-hundred-year Mottled Viper. Yet his strike was lightning-fast and ruthlessly efficient, inflicting grievous wounds!"
"If that blow had landed on Grandmother—or Grandfather—would they have been able to withstand it?"
Meng Yiran's thoughts raced in countless directions, particularly because Tang Yi's gunshot had produced no trace of soul power fluctuation in the surroundings.
Such power genuinely astonished her!
In fact, it was precisely the absence of soul power fluctuation that prevented the Mottled Viper from instinctively gathering energy for defense.
Otherwise, a single bullet from the Desert Eagle might not have achieved such devastating lethality.
"What is the effect of your second soul skill?"
Tang Yi inquired calmly.
Meng Yiran replied: "My second soul skill is called Serpent Gu Amplification. Its effects are: an increase in my own toxin concentration by 10%, and an additional 23% damage bonus against poisoned targets!"
Tang Yi nodded: "A fine soul skill! Your first soul skill—Serpent Blade—should inherently carry a certain degree of toxin in its basic attacks, correct?"
Meng Yiran smiled: "Indeed. The base toxin is sufficient to cause ordinary rank-ten or so soul masters to feel fatigue and dizziness within the time it takes a single incense stick to burn if they are merely scratched!"
"Very well. We part here."
Tang Yi waved his hand and strode away. The location where the Azure Nether Longevity Crane frequently appeared was still some distance ahead.
"Wait a moment!"
Meng Yiran pursed her lips and hurriedly caught up.
"Benefactor, you saved my life, yet I still do not know your name! In the future, I will certainly repay this kindness!"
Meng Yiran declared earnestly.
Tang Yi gave a light chuckle and looked her up and down with an amused expression: "Oh? Repay me with your body?"
At these words, Meng Yiran's small face flushed red. She huffed reproachfully: "What are you saying?"
Tang Yi laughed heartily: "All right, no more teasing. My name is Tang Yi! I live in Holy Soul Village outside Notting City!"
"Benefactor, this is a soul guide device my grandfather gave me. It is called the Silk-Winding Finger Cot. It possesses approximately ten cubic meters of storage space."
"What makes it truly precious is that the Silk-Winding Finger Cot can be worn conveniently on the finger and provides a 1% attack power bonus!"
Meng Yiran removed the finger cot from her hand and solemnly offered it to Tang Yi.
"Hm, roughly ten cubic meters of storage space?"
"And a 1% attack power increase?"
Tang Yi found this quite satisfactory. Although it was inferior in storage capacity to the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges that Yu Xiaogang had given Tang San, its added attack bonus made it valuable.
Of course, when it came to the soul guide device Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, Tang Yi secretly resolved that it was another excellent item—he would have to find a way to seize it in the future and ensure it did not remain in the hands of that "little rascal" Tang San!
"Very well. Many thanks."
Accepting the Silk-Winding Finger Cot, Tang Yi drew a sharp dagger from his waist, leaped onto the Mottled Viper, severed its head with a clean stroke, and stored it directly in the storage space.
Now that the cooldown period had passed, once he obtained the soul ring, Tang Yi intended to transmit more valuable items back to Great Xia.
"The Mottled Viper's head contains deadly poison! If you intend to refine poison from it later, you must exercise great caution!"
Meng Yiran, an expert in poisons, issued a timely reminder.
"Naturally. The head holds the venom—and thus concentrates the viper's entire essence!"
With those words, Tang Yi did not linger and swiftly departed.
Meng Yiran watched his retreating figure, her gaze somewhat dazed: "Perhaps… we will meet again…"
...
One hour later, Tang Yi finally arrived at the location marked on the sheepskin map.
This was the area where the two-thousand-year life-attribute soul beast—the Azure Nether Longevity Crane—frequently appeared.
The surroundings were quiet, with ancient trees standing tall and sunlight filtering through the leaves in dappled patterns.
Tang Yi restrained his aura and concealed himself within a patch of dense grass.
Not long after, a crane-shaped soul beast nearly five meters tall approached in flight. Its feathers were predominantly cyan-gray, with white markings along the neck and wingtips; its beak was long and straight, and its entire body emanated a rich aura of life.
As a life-attribute soul beast, the Azure Nether Longevity Crane lacked the imposing ferocity of carnivorous or strong-attack-type soul beasts, yet its serene and enduring vitality rendered it even more extraordinary.
Tang Yi understood clearly that this type of soul beast possessed formidable defense and astonishing vitality. Prolonging the battle would be greatly disadvantageous to him.
He raised the Desert Eagle, which had already been prepared.
This firearm had undergone preliminary upgrades and modifications by Great Xia, resulting in enhanced power and accuracy.
Tang Yi carefully aimed at the Azure Nether Longevity Crane's vital point—its eyes!
The crane seemed to sense something and turned its head.
But it was already too late.
Tang Yi pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Two consecutive shots rang out. One bullet flew toward the crane's right eye!
The other targeted its left eye!
The bullets traveled at extreme speed; the Azure Nether Longevity Crane had no chance to evade!
Its vital organs suffered catastrophic damage. Its life-recovery speed could not keep pace with the inflicted injuries.
Accompanied by several short, shrill cries of agony, the crane finally crashed to the ground.
The entire hunt was executed cleanly and decisively.
Tang Yi remained vigilant and approached slowly to confirm.
Although the Azure Nether Longevity Crane was on the verge of death, as a two-thousand-year life-attribute soul beast, its vitality remained extraordinarily robust—far surpassing that of the earlier Mottled Viper!
It could not be underestimated. If given even a moment to recover its breath, it might still spread its wings and escape.
Without further hesitation, Tang Yi fired two additional shots to finish it off!
This time, the Azure Nether Longevity Crane was truly and completely dead!
A rich purple soul ring slowly rose from the soul beast's corpse—the unmistakable mark of a two-thousand-year soul ring!
Tang Yi sat cross-legged, circulated his soul power, and promptly began the absorption process.
Thanks to his cultivation of the Nine Yang True Scripture and the physical enhancement provided by the gene reinforcement potions, Tang Yi's body was exceptionally resilient—comparable in toughness to the physiques of many peak-rank Soul Elders!
Although the absorption of a two-thousand-year soul ring involved considerable pain, it remained entirely within Tang Yi's tolerance.
When he opened his eyes once more, Tang Yi could not help but smile in satisfaction: "The first soul ring has been perfectly absorbed! I am now a true soul master!"
"Moreover, the effect of my first soul skill—Prolong Life and Protect Essence—is quite excellent!"
First soul skill: Prolong Life and Protect Essence Rank: Two-thousand-year life-attribute Effects: Life force increased by 50%, poison resistance increased by 40%, lifespan extended by 30%!